TIRUCHY: Works are on in full swing at the Corporation main office building on Bharathidasan Road to ensure adequate facilities for councillors. As the council hall was not used for more than several years, workers are engaged to carry out maintenance of furniture, false ceiling and painting of the walls. However, all eyes are on the mayor's and deputy mayor's bungalows near the Corporation main office. The reason is that most of the former mayors avoided using the mayor bungalow as their camp office and stayed in the deputy mayor's bungalow. Sources said several elected representatives avoided using the bungalow as they believed that it was an 'inauspicious' building.
According to sources, the Corporation spent about Rs 1.2 crore in 2009 for constructing the two bungalows. However, these bungalows are now worth more than Rs 10 crore. Several people are anxiously waiting to see whether the new mayor would use the mayoral bungalow as his camp office. "It is a matter of personal choice. We cannot insist that the mayor must use the official residence," an official said.
As the local body election got caught up in a legal logjam for a few years, the two bungalows remained vacant for about three years (2016 to 2019). This put the buildings in the spotlight and the Corporation faced criticism for not utilising the structures constructed at prime location. Thus, in 2020, the project management teams of the Smart City started working from these bungalows. Officials said the Corporation has now started shifting the project management teams from the bungalow and the buildings would also be made ready for the mayor and deputy mayor.
Several residents opined that the Corporation should consider using bungalows for some other purpose if the new mayor and deputy mayor are not interested in using them.
"Although the project team was using the bungalow as an office, the premises of the mayor's bungalow was in bad shape. The Corporation did not take any step to clear the bushes covering the premises. Now, they have started the works and I hope the bungalows are put to use soon," said Shanmuga Sundaram, a resident.